The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) collaboratively studied central amine metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of psychiatric patients. Results to date indicate that aggression and anti-social behavior is inversely correlated with CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) and positively correlated with cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (c-AMP). Low CSF 5HIAA is also associated with suicidal history; suicidal history is also associated with a history of aggressive, anti-social behavior. Findings have been largely replicated on two separate populations. Alcoholics have decreased CSF 5HIAA during abstinence. Disulfiram (Antabuse) appears to lower CSF homovanillic acid (HVA) and appears to increase serum norepinephrine (NE); low CSF dopamine-b-hydroxylase (DBH), low platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO), low plasma amine oxidase (AO), and high red-cell catechol-0-methyl transferase (COMT) are related to adverse reactions to disulfiram. CSF DBH is inversely related to significant deviations in certain personality measures on the MMPI; CSF 5HIAA is inversely related to the Pd scale. A trivariant relationship exists between history of aggression, history of suicidal behavior, and lower CSF 5HIAA.